Posted by EscherDementian on October 1, 2003, at 19:17:18
In reply to Re: Adderall XR, posted by weavemar on September 30, 2003, at 7:59:14
Hello Weavemar,
My experience (Montessori kindergarten-->elementry teacher) has been that Adderall is gentler for children than Ritalin. There could quite possibly be other factors involved, but i have seen a happier 'ease' and never any 'zombification' in the students who i know made the switch. Have no experience with their 'crashes'.
On Ritalin my nephew (ADHD) had terrible crashes, according to my sister. "He was hell to live with when it wore off. Worse than he was before taking it" My guess is that it wasn't the hyperactivity that she was talking about, but impulse control with his anger. His teachers insisted on his taking it. The solution finally was to quit the Ritalin altogether and continue sessions with a family counselor skilled with children with ADHD. i do not know if another med was substituted.
My nephew had completed 6th grade when this change from Ritalin occurred.I have adult ADD that was was only recently diagnosed. That's how i found this site, too. I am certain i've had it all my life, but it was not well known (if at all) when i went through elementry school. My sister and i believe our mother and grandfather(maternal) DEFINATELY are/were ADD.
I have been taking regular Adderall for 8 months now. It has been a godsend for me. With 3xdaily use, i do not recall 'crashes' that were hard, but a slight panic when my thoughts began scattering simultaneous in warp drive again and i found myself vulnerable to distraction, trying to do 8 things at once. The remedy, i found, was to chart my own 'Adderall wear-off' times (different in the a.m. and p.m., First dose doesn't last as long as second, and third lasts longer than that, Environment/activity at the time of 'wear-off', etc.) and to take my pill 1/2 hour before the 'w-o' times that my chart averaged. The last pill's evening 'w-o' gives me no problem at all; i come off of it tired and ready to go to bed.My new pdoc offered Adderall XR, explaining that it was timed release and i wouldn't have to take but one pill once in the morning. I doubted that my own natural timing and alternating activity schedule would be suited for the Adderall XR option, but this might be a good solution for a child, especially in terms of simplicity and minimizing a child's self-conciousness about taking meds at school. And only if the Adderall XR served your child's needs and comfort zone 99%...or is a better fit than other alternatives, of course. (As a loving parent, you can work with the remaining 1%'s ;)
Hope some of this helps,
Escher
poster:EscherDementian
thread:102658
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030928/msgs/264810.html